Teis Semey Quintet

In his adopted home, the Netherlands, Teis Semey is often referred to as “the bad boy of Dutch jazz.” However, the guitarist—who was born in Aalborg, Denmark, in 1993 and moved to Amsterdam to study jazz—takes his nickname in good humor. Even though his improvisational music often comes across as rough and raw, loud and brash, and is played with a punk attitude, Semey is by no means a “bad boy.” At the heart of his quintet are two saxophonists on alto and tenor. It is they who, with warm, sonorous sounds and a lyrical melody, counter the hot, emotional eruptions of the rhythm section surrounding Semey. The guitarist and his musicians, in any case, embody an improvisational approach that serves as a proven means of communication for them, enabling them to become a true community. In this ensemble, Semey is „Primus inter pares“ because, as a composer, he sets the framework for the music, thereby laying the foundation for a collective art of improvisation.